Door-latch-releasing device.



W. M. SIMMONS.

DOOR LATCH RELBA$ING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.16, 1913.

1,104,076, Patented July 21, 1914.

W] NESSES INVENTOR KQ/V Am 0. WW

To all whom may concern:

WILLIAM M. SIMMONS, or BURLINGTON, IOWA.

DOOR-LATCH-RELEASING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Application filed August 16', 1913. Serial No. 785,186.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. SIM- MONS, of Burlington, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door Latch-Releasing Means; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear," and exact description of the invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in latch operating devices for vehicle doors, the object of the invention being to provide simple and efficient means operative from the front seat of the vehicle releasing the latches of the doors at respective sides of the vehicle.

With this object in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out. in the claims. 1

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a vehicle body showing the application of my improvements, Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views, and Fig. 4 is a view of a modification.

1 represents a portion of a vehicle body provided with hinged doors 22 at respec tive sides thereof. Each door is provided with a spring-pressed latch 3 adapted to engage into a keeper 4 mounted in the wall of the body 1. The keeper 4 is made with a curved outer face 5 and is recessed for the accommodation of a movable stop -6 which normally projects beyond said curved face 5 and (when the door is closed) enters a recess 7 in the edge of the door. The movable stop 6 is provided with a recess 8 for the reception of one, arm of a small lever 9 pivotally supported between its ends in a recess 10 in the keeper 4, the upper arm of said lever 9 projecting into'the bore 11 in the body 1 into which the latch 3 enters. A sleeve 12 is secured in the bore 11 and through said sleeve, a plunger 13 is longitudinally movable. One end of this plunger is recessed as at 14 and is provided with a forwardly projecting arm 15 to engage the-latch 3 for forcing the latter back-out of engagement with the keeper 4,-said arm 15 also having a shoulder 16 to engage the small lever 9, as hereinafter explained.

The plunger 13 is provided at its rear end with a head 17, between which and the rear end of the sleeve 12 a spring 18 is disposed for moving said plunger in one direction.

I have above described the details of construction of the latch devices for one door, and it will be understood that the latch devices for theother door are precisely the same in construction.

With the forward ends of the plungers 13, the rear ends of rods 19 are pivotally connected, the forward ends of said rodsibeing each connected with one arm of a bell-gcrank lever. 20, pivotally supported in brackets 21 secured to the vehicle body 1. To the other arms of said bell-crank levers, cords 22 are connected. From their connection with .the bell-crank levers 20, the cords 22 pass downwardly under pulleys 23 and then inwardly toward the longitudinal center of the vehicle,the inner ends of said cords being connected with a hand lever 24 pivotally supported in the front part of the vehicle.

When the hand lever 24 is moved in one direction, one of the cords 22 will be slackened and motion will be transmitted by the other cord 22 and through one of the bellcranks 20 and the rod 19 connected there with, to one of the plungers 13,- to move the latter against the resistance of its spring 18. When a plunger 13 is thus moved longi-.

tudinally, (as indicated at the top of Fig.

1), the arm 10 at the rear end of said plunger willv engage the latch 3 and force it out of line with the keeper 3. During the same movement of the plunger, the shoulder 25 at the forward end of the recess 14 in the plunger will engage the small lever 9 and turn it on its fulcrum so as to with draw the movable stop 6, as shown in Fig. 1. This door may now be opened.

When the hand lever 24 is allowed to again assume its normal position, the latch operating devices will move from the positions shown. at the top of Fig. 1 and caused to assume the positions shown at the bottom of said figure. Assuming that the door had been opened, said door may be now closed and during 'its closing movement, the latch 3 will ride past themovable stop 6 as Wlll be readily understood and, 1f sufiicient force has been applied to the door to completely close it, the latch will engage the keeper 4 as shown at the bottom of Fig. 1. Should the door be not completely closed, it will be prevented from swinging open by engagement of the latch 3 with the auxiliary movable stop 6 and thus accidental opening of an unlatched door will be prevented.

In the construction shown in Fig. 4:, a plunger 26 is provided for pushing the latch 3 out of engagement with the keeper. A rod 27 is attached at one end to the plunger 26 and at the other end, said rod is pivoted to one arm of a lever 28, the operating cord 22 being connected withthe other end of said lever. It will of course be understood that each door will be provided with latch operating devices, such as above described, and that the two cords 22 will be connected with the operating lever 24 in the front portion of the vehicle, as previously explained.

Various other changes might be made in the details of construction of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope and hence I do not wish to restrict myself to the precise details here in set forth.

Having fully described my invention What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. The combination with avehicle body provided at respective sides with doors and litches for said doors, of latch releasing means, a hand lever at the front of the vehicle, levers connected with said latch releasing means, cords connected respectively with said last mentioned levers, and both of said cords connected with said hand lever at the same side of the pivotal support of the latter, whereby one of said cords will be drawn taut to operate one of the door latches and the other cord will be slackened when the hand level is moved in one direction or the other.

2. The combination with a vehicle body provided with doorsat respective sides, and latches tor said doors, of latch releasing plungers i for said latches, pivoted levers, rods connecting said plunger-s With said levers, a hand lever at the front of the vehicle and in a plane between the planes of the first-mentioned levers, and two cords secured to said hand lever at the same side of its pivotal support and attached respectively to the first-mentioned levers.

3. The combination with a vehicle body, a door therefor, a latch for the door, and a keeper for the latch, of an auxiliary movable stop for the latch mounted near the latch-engaging part of the keeper.

4. The combination with a vehicle body, a door therefor, a latch for the door, and a keeper for the latch, of a plunger, means for operating the plunger to move the latch from the keeper, a movable stop near the engaging face of the keeper, and connections between the plunger and said stop for moving the latter.

5. The combination with a vehicle, a door therefor, a latch for the door and a keeper for said latch, of an auxiliary movable stop near the engaging face of the keeper, a plunger to engage the latch for moving it away from the keeper, ashoulder on said plunger, a pivoted lever cooperating with the shoulder on the plunger and with the auxiliary stop for-operating the latter, and means. for operating the plunger.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' WILLIAM M. SIMMONS.

Witnesses:

E. L. WARE, Son. FEINBERG. 

